I am tired of living paycheck to paycheck! How do I budget my money?

be a stripper. . then u can make extra cash

It takes 2 to tango. You both need to get together. Stop spending. Consolodate your credit cards. Do not eat out or go to movies. Make an effort to put a little away for tomorrow. If it works, put more away eventually. Watvch Susie Orman on tv, or other knowledgeable individuals who can help. You did the 1st part by recognizing your problem.

Plan all your bills atleast 6 months in advance so you know how much cash you need to SURVIVE each week, and how much cash you can BLOW….works for me…most of the time, but I’m compulsive so…

with SCIENCE

NO LOL srsly tho…
What you need to do is look at where youre spending money the most first.
One, look at everything unneccesary. Are you blowing $150/month on CDs, games, new clothes? Most of that can be cut out. Sure, you’ll want to be able to spend SOME money on yourself, so make sure to allot some money for this.
Then look at neccessities. Rent is a must, as well as car payments and insurance and electricity. Phone bill comes next (let’s face it, you can live without a phone if it comes down to it.) Then other things, like net access, cable, etc. Prioritize your bills. Remember, no matter how much you use these things, you’re still getting the bill, so allot for it. Conserve use of things that cost more the more you use them, gas and electricity for example.
Then there’s food. You need food, but most people buy WAY too much and eat WAY too much. Buy cheaper, off brands if you can. Buy cheaper food, like ramen, mac and cheese, etc. You dont have to have meat with every meal. Also, consider shopping at aldi’s or a similar establishment. They’re very inexpensive.

Alternatively, find a second job. I’ve worked two jobs for six years now, and have only needed to for the first three. It’s a good experience, and you’ll have extra cash to blow/save.

First write down all your expenses.
Then keep all your receipts for a couple of weeks. What are you spending your money on? What is on your receipts that isn’t on you list of expenses?

Get that under control!

If you share this information with your husband and then find something he would like to have or do that he never can find the money for. Show him how with the spending under control he could have those things in a little time.

Do this: Every pay check, put about 10% of it aside (into a separate account, a savings account, an envalope a jar – what ever) You must do this religiously without fail and for a long period of time. You do not touch this money at all. It is reserved cash and is not to be used period. The rest of your paycheck, you devide into bills due and money for living expenses (groceries, gas, etc). You’ll need to keep on this track for some time and be very disciplined about it. Eventually you will build up a good size cash reserve account. Then when an emergency comes up, or a large expenditure, you will be able to draw from this account instead of spending your entire paycheck.

see the character jess’ in hollyoaks

I most certainly agree with Mr. Q. It’s a two way street. You have to sit your husband down and talk business because this is an issue that should not get out of control.

I believe you and your hubby can start first by:

1. Figure your weekly/monthly salary
2. Gather all your most recent bills, receipts and look at your bank statements
3. And figure out how much money you spend a month
4. Once you do that look at your expenses, is there anything you can cut out from the budget or reduce?

Make budget planner on excel or any spreadsheet. Or you can seek out advice from a respectable financial advisor.

Suze Orman has some great books out there on budgeting and so does the link I provided below. Best of luck to you!

You’ve taken the first step to help yourself!
Budgetting can be easily done, get yourself a workbook and write down all the monthly payments down and what date they occur on, then add gas, food and other expenses (haircut, eating out, etc) Add them all up and you’ll get a total, see where you can cut back, ex: call waiting/caller id can be removed and lower your phone bill, cable specialty channels can be dropped etc)

If you put 10% of your paycheck away each week and put it into a high interest savings account, you’d be surprised at how much your money can grow and work for you OR you can put $20.00 a week away in the same manner, roll-up loose change, clip coupons for groceries, watch for sales flyers, buy things from thrift stores (amazingly they do have a great selection of work and casual clothing for a great price).

You’ll have to sit with your husband and explain what this is doing to you, it takes two to make things work, alot of compromising but it is well worth it in the long run.

Good Luck,
DJ